BP fires up the fourth of five major projects expected in 2021

Oil major BP has started production at the Manuel project in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, the fourth of five major projects expected to be delivered globally in 2021.

Manuel is located on Mississippi Canyon block 520, east of the BP-operated Na Kika platform in 6,625 feet of water. The Manuel project includes a new subsea production system for two new wells tied into the Na Kika platform.

The wells are expected to boost gross platform production by an estimated 20,100 boe/d, the oil major said on Wednesday.

Starlee Sykes, BP senior vice president Gulf of Mexico and Canada, said: “Manuel is exactly the type of high-value project that is critical to growing our business here in the Gulf of Mexico. BP’s focused and resilient hydrocarbons business is a key pillar of our strategy. This start-up is another example of our team’s commitment to safe and reliable operations”.

The SURF contract for the Manuel project was awarded to Subsea 7 back in December 2018. The SURF workscope included engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) of an electrically heat traced flowline (EHTF) and a steel catenary riser and all associated subsea structures as well as front-end engineering and design (FEED).

The BP-operated wells, drilled to a depth of approximately 21,000 feet, are located southeast of the Na Kika platform, approximately 140 miles off the coast of New Orleans. The platform is designed to process up to 130,000 barrels of oil and 550 million cubic feet of natural gas per day.

BP and Shell each hold a 50 per cent working interest in the Manuel development.

Ewan Drummond, BP senior vice president of projects, production and operations said: “Our disciplined investment in Manuel is part of our target to add 900,000 boe/d of production from new projects by the end of 2021. The safe production of resilient hydrocarbons in the basins we know best is core to advancing our strategy to transform into an integrated energy company”.